Wide Angle or 24-70mm range on a crop body?

Tbini87 · Jan 18, 2011

Hey guys,
I have been looking into what our next lens purchase should be and have been getting a little confused. We have D90s, a 17-55 2.8, 35 1.8, 50 1.8, and 80-200 2.8. We mostly shoot portraits, but have/will be doing engagements and weddings as well. We love all of our lenses so far.
I have really wanted a wide angle zoom for a while and was thinking it would be our next purchase. I also think we are kind of missing the 55-80 range which would be covered by a 24 or 28-70 zoom. As I started looking into these type zooms I kept seeing people saying that is type zoom is not great for a DX body. I thought this range would be great for both the ceremony and reception of a wedding, but maybe not.
I guess I would like some input about wide angle lenses and the 24-70 range and how they would be applicable to weddings. Which lens would you go with first if you could only afford 1? Any specific recommendations for a wide angle ($600 budget and have been debating between tokina 11-16 and sigma 10-20). Any thoughts, help or advice would be appreciated!

Light Artisan · Jan 18, 2011

I just picked up the 11-16 Tokina and love it, the constant f/2.8 and glowing reviews sold me on it and I have 0 regrets.

You may also want to consider the Sigma 18-50 f/2.8 HSM Macro lens, another solid performer.

I have my range covered with:

Tokina 11-16 f/2.8
Sigma 18-50 f/2.8
Nikon 70-200 f/2.8
Nikon 50mm f/1.4

Tbini87 · Jan 18, 2011

Light Artisan said:
I just picked up the 11-16 Tokina and love it, the constant f/2.8 and glowing reviews sold me on it and I have 0 regrets.

You may also want to consider the Sigma 18-50 f/2.8 HSM Macro lens, another solid performer.

I have my range covered with:

Tokina 11-16 f/2.8
Sigma 18-50 f/2.8
Nikon 70-200 f/2.8
Nikon 50mm f/1.4

We have a similar lens setup... besides the wide angle, because we already have the nikon 17-55 so we wouldn't need the sigma 18-50. Since we have the 80-200 and not the 70-200 we have a slightly bigger gap between our two longer zooms. Maybe that little gap between the 55-80 isn't as big a deal as getting the wide angle possibilities. I have heard a lot of good things about the Tokina 11-16 and would LOVE the 2.8, but also feel that the range is a tad bit limited.

Light Artisan · Jan 18, 2011

Ahh, didn't see you had the 17-55, eyes are getting sleepy!

11-16mm honestly feels like a prime, it's literally a head nod difference in focal length :lol:

I have some samples in my 'Main Photo Blog' link below from today... just some initial shots over lunch hour.

kundalini · Jan 18, 2011

Tbini87 said:
As I started looking into these type zooms I kept seeing people saying that is type zoom is not great for a DX body. I thought this range would be great for both the ceremony and reception of a wedding, but maybe not.

Yeah, I've read those responses also but could never really figure out what they were on about. Ackward focal lengths? The 24-70mm was my go-to lens for the D80 & D300, but it does shine on the D700.

For wide angles, I have the Nikkor 12-24mm f/4, 14-24 f/2.8 and the 20mm f/2.8 (kinda wide on an FX). I don't use the 12-24mm too much anymore and defer to the 14-24mm. The 20mm is great mostly because of its small profile in congested and/or dodgy situations.

Tbini87 · Jan 18, 2011

Light Artisan said:
Ahh, didn't see you had the 17-55, eyes are getting sleepy!

11-16mm honestly feels like a prime, it's literally a head nod difference in focal length

I have some samples in my 'Main Photo Blog' link below from today... just some initial shots over lunch hour.

Already checked out those shots and loved them. I have really been wanting a WA lens for way too long... can't wait to get my hands on one. Thanks for the input.

Tbini87 · Jan 18, 2011

kundalini said:
Tbini87 said:

As I started looking into these type zooms I kept seeing people saying that is type zoom is not great for a DX body. I thought this range would be great for both the ceremony and reception of a wedding, but maybe not.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I've read those responses also but could never really figure out what they were on about. Ackward focal lengths? The 24-70mm was my go-to lens for the D80 & D300, but it does shine on the D700.

For wide angles, I have the Nikkor 12-24mm f/4, 14-24 f/2.8 and the 20mm f/2.8 (kinda wide on an FX). I don't use the 12-24mm too much anymore and defer to the 14-24mm. The 20mm is great mostly because of its small profile in congested and/or dodgy situations.

Ok good, it isn't just me. I mean, we love our 35 prime and 50 prime... and both those lengths seem fine and are covered in that zoom (plus wider and longer obv which seems like a win-win).

How important is that f/2.8 on a wide angle? Doesn't seem AS necessary for a WA lens compared to say the 80-200, but obviously wouldn't hurt. Can't really afford the nikon lens, and feel like the tokina 11-16 doesn't have enough range. However, the 2.8 is much more appealing than the 4.5-5.6 of the sigma 10-20... so I guess this might be my dilemma. I keep finding myself comparing these 2 lenses on amazon and keep getting mixed feelings from the reviews (both seem like nice lenses), but don't know which one would serve me better in the long run.

djacobox372 · Jan 19, 2011

The Sigma 24-70mm f2.8 or the tamron 28-75mm f2.8 would be good choices.

Ultra-wide is pretty useless for photographing people, unless the distorted perspective is what you're going for.

Village Idiot · Jan 19, 2011

I seriously held off on the 24-70 f/2.8L until I went with a full frame. I used my friend's several times, but it was just too long on the wide end to be as useful as I find it now. Generally, it's the lens that's on my camera when it's pulled out of the bag.

mjhoward · Jan 19, 2011

Get the 17-55 f2.8. Similar build, large aperture, and similar focal length to what would be on a FF. (25.5-82.5mm)

Big Mike · Jan 19, 2011

I often say that 24-70mm is awkward on a crop body, because I just don't think that 24mm is wide enough for your primary lens....and that's just a personal preference.

Of course, I have a wider lens, the 10-22mm...so in theory I would be OK pairing that up with a 24-70mm....but I don't really want to be changing lenses just to get the 16-23mm range. When I want to shoot wide angle, I'm usually going fully wide to 10-12mm. But when I'm shooting general 'normal' length photos during a wedding, I like being able to zoom from 17mm to 50mm. Sure, I'd like to be able to zoom out to 70 or 85mm but they just don't have an F2.8 lens that covers that. I do have a 17-85mm F4-5.6 lens, but it isn't fast enough for me at a wedding.

On a film/full fame body, yes...the 24 to 70mm range is ideal.

Big Mike · Jan 19, 2011

Get the 17-55 f2.8. Similar build, large aperture, and similar focal length to what would be on a FF. (25.5-82.5mm)

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We have D90s, a 17-55 2.8, 35 1.8, 50 1.8, and 80-200 2.8.

Village Idiot · Jan 19, 2011

Big Mike said:
I often say that 24-70mm is awkward on a crop body, because I just don't think that 24mm is wide enough for your primary lens....and that's just a personal preference.

Of course, I have a wider lens, the 10-22mm...so in theory I would be OK pairing that up with a 24-70mm....but I don't really want to be changing lenses just to get the 16-23mm range. When I want to shoot wide angle, I'm usually going fully wide to 10-12mm. But when I'm shooting general 'normal' length photos during a wedding, I like being able to zoom from 17mm to 50mm. Sure, I'd like to be able to zoom out to 70 or 85mm but they just don't have an F2.8 lens that covers that. I do have a 17-85mm F4-5.6 lens, but it isn't fast enough for me at a wedding.

On a film/full fame body, yes...the 24 to 70mm range is ideal.

No Mike, you're wrong. On a full frame body, 24-70 is perfect. :mrgreen: